{"id":10331,"date":"2024-01-29T10:59:26","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T10:59:26","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"Republicans-see-an-opportunity-with-Black-voters-prompting-mobilization-in-Biden-campaign-53857467\/","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/?p=10331","title":{"rendered":"Republicans see an opportunity with Black voters, prompting mobilization in Biden campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"FILE
FILE – This combo image shows President Joe Biden, left, Jan. 5, 2024 and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, right, Jan. 19, 2024. Black voters support the reelection of President Joe Biden at a surprisingly low level, according to recent AP polling. For Republican strategists and former President Donald Trump, that’s an opportunity to make inroads into the Democratic Party’s most loyal voting bloc. Both parties are fine-tuning efforts to win over…<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FILE
FILE – Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, listens as Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks at a campaign event in Concord, N.H., Jan. 19, 2024. Black voters support the reelection of President Joe Biden at a surprisingly low level, according to recent AP polling. For Republican strategists and former President Donald Trump, that’s an opportunity to make inroads into the Democratic Party’s most loyal voting bloc. Both parties are fine-tuning efforts to…<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FILE
FILE – Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is seen after her formal investiture ceremony at the Supreme Court, in Washington, Sept. 30, 2022. Black voters support the reelection of President Joe Biden at a surprisingly low level, according to recent AP polling. For Republican strategists and former President Donald Trump, that’s an opportunity to make inroads into the Democratic Party’s most loyal voting bloc. Both parties are fine-tuning efforts to win over Black voters. The president…<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>

WASHINGTON \u2014 Donald Trump isn\u2019t known for fostering deep connections with the Black community.<\/p>\n

From his earliest days as a New York real estate developer, Trump has faced accusations of racist business practices. He spent years spreading the lie that Barack Obama, America\u2019s first Black president, was ineligible to hold office. When he was president, Trump derided \u201cshithole countries\u201d in Africa and said four congresswomen of color should go back to the \u201cbroken and crime-infested\u201d countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the U.S.<\/p>\n

But as he seeks the presidency for a third time, Trump is aiming to win over an unlikely constituency: Black voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you seen our poll numbers with African Americans and with Hispanic Americans? But I\u2019m not that surprised because I see it, I feel it,\u201d Trump declared during a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, days before the state\u2019s primary. \u201cWe did great in 2016, we did much better in 2020 but there is much more enthusiasm now.\u201d <\/p>\n

There\u2019s little evidence that Trump is making significant inroads with Black voters, who polls show remain overwhelmingly supportive of President Joe Biden. But even minor changes in voting patterns in critical states could shift the race in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n

For Biden, the biggest risk isn\u2019t a dramatic move among Black voters toward Trump. It\u2019s that such voters \u2014 frustrated by a range of issues, including the lack of progress emerging from the 2020 racial justice movement \u2014 simply don\u2019t show up at all. In some of the most narrowly divided states that could decide next year\u2019s election, including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan, even minor shifts in turnout could sway the results.<\/p>\n

Nationally, only 50% of Black adults said they approve of Biden in a December AP-NORC poll, down from 86% in July 2021. That shift represents a larger drop than among adults overall and white adults in particular. At the same time, however, only 25% of Black adults said they have a favorable view of Trump.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s campaign advisers insist they\u2019re aiming to jump on such shifts to spur a political realignment that would upend the Democratic Party\u2019s decades-long advantage with Black voters. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are creating a massive problem for the Democratic Party\u2019s base that … could be altering for a generation,\u201d said Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser on the Trump campaign. \u201cThat\u2019s just an opportunity that we would be remiss if we didn\u2019t exploit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cornell Belcher, a Democratic pollster, noted that Obama faced similar challenges with young voters and voters of color during his 2012 reelection campaign, when many in the Democrats\u2019 base were frustrated by his perceived slow pace of progress on key goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not surprised that Joe Biden right now starts off underperforming among young voters and voters of color. I\u2019d be surprised if he didn\u2019t. But that\u2019s what campaigns are for,\u201d Belcher said. \u201cI\u2019m not panicked that he is down 15 points from where he should be with these voters. Because I\u2019ve seen this play before. I\u2019ve seen it with Barack Obama.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump is hardly moderating his rhetoric on race as he quickly becomes the GOP\u2019s dominant presidential front-runner. Just this month, he mocked Republican rival Nikki Haley\u2019s birth name, repeatedly referred to the American-born daughter of immigrants from India as \u201cNimbra.\u201d The episode had strong overtones of his earlier efforts to rely on racist tropes to question Obama\u2019s citizenship and eligibility to serve as president.<\/p>\n

Trump often highlights endorsements from Black celebrities, including the rappers Kanye West and Lil Wayne, as evidence of his appeal to the Black community. He recently touted the endorsement of a Black Rhode Island racial justice advocate as an endorsement from Black Lives Matter, a move the Black Lives Matter Grassroots organization denounced.<\/p>\n

But as he prepares for a rematch against Biden, Trump is stepping up his efforts to present a more diverse group of supporters than during his years in the White House, when he presided over a nearly all white Cabinet. When he won the New Hampshire primary this week, Sen. Tim Scott, the chamber\u2019s only Black Republican, stood prominently behind him. Scott, who once challenged Trump for the GOP nomination, has emerged as one of his most prominent surrogates and speaks often about his record on race.<\/p>\n

As Trump closes in on the Republican nomination, his vice presidential pick could be a key opportunity to try to expand his appeal beyond the party\u2019s overwhelmingly white base. Scott is among those who are frequently mentioned as a potential running mate for Trump.<\/p>\n

Biden and his fellow Democrats aren\u2019t ceding Black voters to Trump. The president kicked off his reelection bid earlier this month at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where in 2015 nine Black parishioners were shot to death by the white stranger they had invited to join their Bible study. <\/p>\n

During his visit, Biden denounced the \u201cpoison\u201d of white supremacy in America and noted some of the accomplishments of his administration, including the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Biden has also spoken of improving economic conditions for people of color and upended his party\u2019s election calendar to put South Carolina at the start \u2014 instead of predominantly white Iowa and New Hampshire \u2014 to recognize the diversity of the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, accused Republicans of promoting \u201cfairy tales about their plan to win over Black voters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBack here on Earth, the reality is this: Their leader, Donald Trump, pals around with white supremacists, is fighting to overturn Obamacare and throw millions of Black families off their insurance, and celebrated when his right-wing Supreme Court justices voted to block President Biden from delivering massive student debt relief to Black families,\u201d Harrison said. <\/p>\n

Both parties are fine-tuning efforts to win over Black voters. Since 2013, the Republican National Committee has established outreach centers focused on minority areas; there are currently 38 such outposts in 19 states catering to various communities. The GOP plans to add two more outreach centers in 2024.<\/p>\n

And in contrast to past Democratic efforts, the Biden campaign has opted for an early engagement strategy with core constituencies like Black voters. The campaign rolled out large investments in African American media and other outreach in key swing states.<\/p>\n

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, said DNC chair Harrison, \u201cwon\u2019t rest until we earn every vote because the stakes are that high.\u201d<\/p>\n

____<\/p>\n

Matt Brown is a member of the AP\u2019s Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on social media.<\/p>\n

____<\/p>\n

The Associated Press\u202freceives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP\u2019s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 Donald Trump isn\u2019t known for fostering deep connections with the Black community.From his earliest days as a New York real estate developer, Trump has faced accusations of racist business practices. He spent years spreading the lie that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":399,"featured_media":10332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_newspack_byline_active":true,"_newspack_byline":"by [Author id=399]Matt Brown[\/Author] Associated Press","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,508],"tags":[505],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[627],"class_list":["post-10331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-top-headlines-cm","tag-paywall","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/42798715-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/399"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10333,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10331\/revisions\/10333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10331"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fnewspack_spnsrs_tax&post=10331"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=10331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}